Certain flight vehicles are equipped with Divert and Attitude Control Systems, which provide position and attitude adjustments on an as-needed basis (the term “flight vehicle” encompassing both vehicles designed to operate within and/or outside of earth's atmosphere). Conventional Divert and Attitude Control Systems often employ an array of thrusters, a fluid fuel source, and an oxidizing agent, which supports combustion of the fluid fuel source. The fluid fuel source is typically stored under pressure in one or more fuel tanks, and the oxidizing agent is stored in a separate oxidizer tank. Plumbing fluidly connects the fuel tanks, the oxidizer tank, and the thruster array; and a valve system controls the flow of fuel and oxidizing agent to the thruster array to enable each thruster to be independently and intermittently fired. The valve system is, in turn, controlled by control circuitry, which may determine the appropriate manner in which to adjust the flight vehicle's position and attitude based upon data generated by sensors deployed onboard the flight vehicle (e.g., an Inertial Measurement Unit and at least one electromagnetic radiation sensor) and/or by telemetry data provided by a remote source.
Conventionally-implemented Divert and Attitude Control Systems of the type described above are limited in certain respects due, in part, to their reliance on fluid fuel sources. To safely retain the fluid fuel under pressure, the tanks in which the fluid fuel is stored are typically fabricated to have a thick-walled construction and are consequently relatively heavy and bulky. The fluid fuel, itself, adds considerable weight to the flight vehicle, as do the various the other components (e.g., the plumbing network, valve system, and oxidizer tank) required to support the usage of a fluid fuel source. Collectively, such components undesirably increase the non-essential mass (commonly referred to as the “parasitic mass”), cost, and overall complexity of the flight vehicle.
It is thus desirable to provide embodiments of a flight vehicle including a Divert and Attitude Control System that overcomes the above-noted limitations associated with conventional, fluid fuel-based Divert and Attitude Control Systems. More generally, it is desirable to provide embodiments of a flight vehicle that is relatively lightweight, that has a reduced part count, and that can be readily outfitted with different components and sensor suites depending upon desired mission capabilities. It would also be desirable if such a flight vehicle were amenable to automated manufacturing processes to minimize manually-introduced system faults, to decrease the likelihood of contamination by foreign object debris, and to reduce overall production costs. Lastly, it would be desirable to provide embodiments of a method for manufacturing such a flight vehicle. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent Detailed Description and the appended Claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying Drawings and this Background.